A/N: Hello everyone! Missus Padfoot's back from Europe safe and sound! And if you're curious, she had a magnificent time! We'd like to thank all of our reviewers for leaving us all the wonderful reviews that we've been receiving! You guys totally make writing all these chapters worth it! So, here's your treat for the day - Ch. 17! Dun dun dun!!!

Chapter 17: Moving On

Lily stormed up to her room miserably, leaving a muddy trail behind her. She had stayed outside for a few minutes after James left, allowing herself to become soaking wet. She was furious at herself for her awful performance at Quidditch practice and at Potter for assuming it okay for him to just take advantage of her like that.

‘Potter, that stupid git!! I can’t believe he thought I would just let him snog me like that and not get angry about it!! He infuriates me!!’

As much as Lily tried to forget, though, she couldn’t dispel James’ last look of hurt before he walked away. For some reason, that look kept haunting her, despite how much she tried to not think about it.

Approaching the portrait hole, Lily ignored the fact that Sir Cadogan was hiding behind his horse and sharply called out the password.

“Holyhead Harpies.” Sir Cadogan nodded and the portrait swung forward, but Lily could still hear him complaining to a group of wizard scholars in a portrait across the hall.

“Ladies these days!! That’s the second one in twenty minutes that has come here looking as mad as the devil himself!!”

'Second girl?’

Lily had barely stepped a foot into the shared common room before halting in surprise. While Marissa, sitting on the couch with her magical contacts a thoughtful yellow, waved at her, Rebecca, who had apparently been pacing in front of the fire, stalked towards her with a furious look.

“What the hell did you do to James?!”

Lily and Marissa both gapped at Rebecca in shock, and Lily barely noticed how Marissa’s eyes were now white from her confusion. “How … what…?”

Rebecca continued to glare at Lily as she explained.

“We’re twins, I can feel if something major has happened to him. I know you were the last one with him, and I can feel how upset he is. What the hell did you do to him?!?”

Lily threw her hands up in the air, ignoring the water and mud flinging off her robes. “Fine!! You want to know what happened? We argued!! And after we argued, your idiot of a brother decided he’d kiss me, so I slapped him!!!!”

Both Rebecca and Marissa’s jaws dropped, but Rebecca was quicker to regain her composure and proceeded to start yelling at Lily. “YOU WHAT?!?! God, Lily!! Why would you do something like that?! Sure, maybe James shouldn’t have given you a snog - it was probably done in the heat of the moment considering we all know how obsessed he is with you, but that doesn’t give you any right to lash out like that!!”

Lily flushed an angry red and stomped towards the gothic girl until she was standing right in front of her, their noses almost touching.

“Like hell that doesn’t give me any right!! He didn’t have the right to kiss me in the first place!! God, why are you even taking his side??”

“BECAUSE HE’S MY BROTHER!!! And I love him, and when you act like a selfish brat and hurt him, YOU HURT ME TOO!!”

With that, Rebecca shoved past Lily and thrust the portrait hole open, ignoring Sir Cadagon’s howl of surprise. A blanket of silence descended on the common room, and Lily could feel herself tearing up. Marissa pushed herself off the couch, and carefully approached the Head Girl.

“Hey, Lils, you okay?”

Lily, already past the limit of her patience and blinded by her fury, lashed out on her friend. “Of course I’m not okay!! I had an awful practice today, I’ve just had both Potters tell me how terrible I am, and you have the gall to ask whether I’m okay or not when I just got finished having a row!!!”

Marissa’s eyes glowed red in anger. “Sorry, I didn’t know it was a crime to feel concern for a friend!”

Lily felt her eyes well up with unshed tears from her frustration and anger. “Yeah, well, right at the moment, I’ve had enough of everyone getting on my case, so if you don't mind, just shove off!!!”

Marissa drew herself up to her full height and narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I’m only trying to help, but if you’re going to act like a kneazle in heat, then, by all means, be my guest!! Whenever you realize how wrong you’ve treated everyone this evening, come and see me; maybe then you’ll be willing to listen to reason! I’ve had a hard enough time these last couple of weeks trying to get over this whole Sirius situation. I don’t need my best friend biting my head off! Especially when the only thing I’ve done is act like a concerned friend.”

Holding her head high, Marissa walked out of the still open portrait hole, letting it close sharply behind her. Lily, finally alone, felt her legs give out, and sank to the floor in her muddy Quidditch robes with a growing puddle of water surrounding her. As tears trailed down her cheeks, Lily bit her gloved hand trying to hold back her sobs.

‘Oh, god, what have I done?’

**************************************************************

James, after leaving Lily, stormed though the halls of Hogwarts. He wandered all over the castle until he felt his anger drain out of him. He suddenly felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. With a soft sigh, he sat on a windowsill on the second floor, and lowered his face into his hands.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there when suddenly he became aware of someone’s footsteps echoing through the corridor. He hoped that whoever it was would ignore him and leave in peace, but he was disappointed when he heard the footsteps approach him and stop a few feet away from him.

Glancing to his right he found himself staring at Daphne Holmes.

“Mind if I have a seat?” The pretty girl questioned with a gentle smile.

James tried to hold back his shock and quickly scooted a bit to his left, offering up the remainder of the bench to the Prefect. “Uh, sure, no problem.”

After settling herself next to the Head Boy, Daphne gave him a searching look.

“So, is there a particular reason why you’re sitting alone in the corridor soaking wet and looking like you brought the whole Quidditch Pitch with you?”

James blushed and rubbed a patch of mud on his leg fruitlessly. “Well… umm..” Daphne held a hand up to halt James’ stuttering.

“That’s alright. If you don’t feel up to telling me, then it’s none of my business to try and pry.” James couldn’t help his jaw dropping open in shock from the girl’s consideration.

Closing his mouth quickly, James decided to trust her.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind telling. I just got in a bit of an argument with one of the players after practice and got caught in the storm for a bit. No big deal.” Daphne nodded in understanding and didn’t pry further, though James could see she knew there was more to the story than what he was telling her. Once again James was surprised at the girl’s understanding.

Daphne pulled out her wand and gestured towards the Head Boy, mumbling a quick scourgify and arefacio to clean the mud and water off James’ Quidditch robes.

“There! Much better!” Daphne said with a bright smile on her face.

“Thanks,” James muttered, glancing at the girl sitting next to him. Catching her gaze, James found himself staring into Daphne’s pale blue eyes. After a few moments of silence, Daphne blushed and turned her head away from James to stare at her shoes.

James, noticing Daphne’s blush, awkwardly decided not to bring any attention to it, and roughly cleared his throat while trying to think of something to say. Before he could think of a sufficient topic of discussion, James felt a draft blow from the window behind him and breeze across the back of his neck, causing him to sneeze.

His loud sneeze startled Daphne into giggles, and after a moment of embarrassment, James joined in, laughing quietly.

Pushing herself off the sill, the Ravenclaw Prefect grasped James' hands and pulled him up.

“Okay James, why don’t we head up to Flitwick’s office? He’s always willing to brew a nice cup of tea for his house, so he wouldn’t mind a visit. You need to drink something warm so you don’t get sick.”

Not fancying spending the evening with a teacher, James couldn’t help but grin at the girl in front of him and start pulling her in the opposite direction of the Charms Professor’s office.

“You know,” James said with a sly look, “I have a better idea.” With that, he lead Daphne in the direction of the kitchens, not even realizing he’d left all thoughts of Lily behind.

A/N: Missus Padfoot: *gasp!* Moony! Can you believe what we just did?! We made James forget about Lily! We can't do that! Missus Moony: *snicker* Oh yes we can! Mwahahahahaha! Okay, now tell us what you think!!! Missus Padfoot: *pouty face* Please?!?!?! I'll love you forever and ever! Missus Moony: Uh, yeah! Me too! ...I guess?